The Incredible Shrinking Schwab

I can see how this blog thing can be catchy.  I found myself thinking of it most of my day, wondering just what I could possibly write about... and then I came home. Dave reminded me that it was Wednesday and that meant it was weigh in day.  This might not seem like a big deal to most, but for those who don't know, Dave had roux en y gastric bypass surgery.  This was a decision that was difficult to come too.  His whole life, Dave struggled with obesity and the physical effects (type 2 diabetes with insulin pump, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea with cpap to name a few) and emotional effects (funny looks, innocent child remarks, being asked to get off rides at amusement parks) that accompany this disease.  One night, while playing with Addison on our bed, Dave looked at me and said he knew what he had to do if he wanted to survive long enough to see her graduate high school.  After a year of intense testing, Dave was approved and on March 16, 2011, Dave finally had his surgery.  Immediately we began to see this was the best decision we could have ever made.  Within 2 weeks, he was off his diabetic medications and within one month he was off ALL other medications.  The weight began melting off him.  He was unable to exercise for the first 4-6 weeks as this was still healing time.  He lost an average of 7 pounds a week just walking around our apartment.  As time progressed, and he was allowed to try more varieties of food and increase his physical activity, he is maintaining his average loss of 7 pounds a week.  It is becoming routine for Wednesdays to become weigh in days.  We meet his sister, Tara, at Corry Memorial Hospital, where she is a nurse, to weigh in on the laundry scale.  Today, we learned that he lost another 6 pounds in one week, making his total weight loss up to 85 pounds.  That is amazing to me.  85 pounds in 9 weeks!!!!  I am so proud of him I could burst.  The difference in him is awesome.  He has eneregy.  He is always out doing something, whether it is going to the gym, fishing, golfing, walking, or hiking.  He is helping and playing more with Addy.  He is doing more around the house.  And the most important thing... he is happy.  We still have a long way to go and a loooooong "To -Do" list to accomplish (like be able to weigh in at home, go back to Cedar Point to ride the roller coaster he was kicked off of) but we are doing it and I am so proud of how far we have come.



Dave and Addison at the zoo in August 2010.
We were about half way through testing
and Dave was at his heaviest.



Dave and Addison at the zoo
 on Mother's Day 2011. 
Eight weeks post surgery and
79 pounds lost.